Author: MysteryGlobal

Sometimes, for a moment of bliss
And the passion, we're craving
There's a message we miss
Sometimes when, the spirits left alone
We must believe in something
To find if we've grown

Picture a person with an emptiness in their life. Maybe they have money, or a spouse, or a successful career, and maybe they have none of these things. The bottom line is that their life is missing something. Enter organized religion.

This person finds, within the church and it’s people and it’s rituals, the ‘moment of bliss’ which is talked about in the first line. They find that passion and excitement that comes with being part of something new and wonderful. This seems to fulfill the void which has been present in their life. But that newness and excitement often blinds young Christians from the real purpose of Christianity which is spreading God’s word and living a life of servitude to Christ. That’s the message that’s missed.

The ‘spirit’ is probably the spirit of the person who has just found, or is returning to religion. When you haven’t had anything to believe in, you have to believe something to use as a gauge to find out if you are still the same person that you were before. That doesn’t mean that this ‘something’ is the right thing, or what you truly believe. Maybe the person’s beliefs have been compromised, simply to gain that feeling of inclusion and passion.

Tragic reflex, shattered calm
Static progress, senses gone
Numb awareness, final psalm

It doesn’t take long, in most cases, for that newness to wear off. Church becomes a habit, or reflex. The peace and joy found in the beginning soon fades as it becomes time to do the work expected of a Christian. That’s where many people become stagnant and their growth falters. Their progress stops and their senses are numbed because they only wanted the joy and excitement that was experienced in the beginning. They are not willing to go forward with the task of carrying out God’s will and truly serving Him. It’s not enough to just love God and sit on your duff. It takes sacrifice and selflessness, but, sadly, many churches fail to teach this part of Christianity.

Swept away with the tide
Through the holes in my hands
Crown of thorns at my side
Drawing lines in the sand

This new Christian was ‘swept away’ by the love and the sacrifice of Christ, depicted by the ‘holes in my hands’. But now perhaps this person is one of the many self-righteous hypocrites found in organized religion, always pointing their finger at everyone else. Thus we are reminded of humility and meekness by the ‘crown of thorns’, symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion, the ultimate act of humility and sacrifice.

‘Drawing lines in the sand’ is to remind us of the story in the Bible where Christ spoke out to some accusers and told them “You who has no sin, cast the first stone.” This is a greatly anti-hypocrite line.

Sometimes, if you're perfectly still
You can hear the virgin weeping
For the savior of your will

This part seems to be asking us to stop and remember the price that was paid for our sin and evaluate our righteousness, or lack thereof.

Sometimes, your castles in the air
And the fantasies you're seeking
Are the crosses you bear

At this point I believe the message of the song takes a turn. It’s more about a person beginning to pull away from religion and back to an average life. The person begins doubting the validity of this Christian lifestyle. Trying to get to Heaven, and have a castle and such being analogies for living the Christian life, is it really worth it? Or is it all just a burden?

Sacred conflict, blessed prize
Weeping crosses, stainless eyes
Desperate addict, faith disguised

The ‘sacred conflict’ would be the arduous task of deciding to leave a church. You feel the attraction to the promised ‘prize’ of salvation, and you are addicted to the habit of attending church and playing the role of a Christian, for it does become an entire way of life. But, is the habitual act of playing a part that you don’t feel really faith?

Repeat Chorus

We fabricate our demons
Invite them into our homes
Have supper with the aliens
And fight the war alone

As the feelings of confusion deepen, the person becomes more and more just an actor playing out a part. Going along with all of the battles and enemies claimed by the church,(demons) and playing along as though the battle were your own, even though you don’t feel like you have anything in common with the other members of the church.(aliens) This is sure to bring about feelings of isolation and ‘fighting the war alone’.

We conjure up our skeletons
Enlist the den of thieves
Frightened from our closets
Then sewn upon our sleeves

The next step towards leaving the church is when the person begins to revert back to old habits and sinful actions. Bringing out all the thoughts and desires that have been suppressed while attempting to lead a Christian life. These are the skeletons and thieves brought out of the closets. Then by having them ‘sewn upon our sleeves’ it becomes apparent to those surrounding us that we have returned to a life of selfishness and we are no longer hiding our desire to discontinue attending the church.

In the stream of consciousness
There is a river crying
Living comes much easier
Once we admit we're dying

Trying to lead a Christian life, particularly if you are having doubts about it, is a very stressful thing. You never feel like you’re getting it right. You never feel like you’re good enough. This section seems to be illustrating a point where a person gives up completely on Christianity and simply accepts that they are going to die, or go to Hell. It’s selfish and many would claim foolish, but it’s a lot easier to just live to please yourself and no one else, regardless of repercussions.

Sometimes, in the wreckage of our wake
There's a bitterness we harbor
And hate for hatred's sake
Sometimes we dig an early grave
And crucify our instincts
For the hope we couldn't save

After trying and then refusing religion, many people become bitter. My guess would be that John is referring specifically to the bitterness felt towards the hypocrisy in organized religion. Even though we feel that Christianity and it’s principles are good and true, due to this hypocrisy bred hatred, we give up hope on the whole thing. That’s the instinct being crucified. Hope couldn’t be saved because of the corruption that man has brought to religion.

Sometimes a view from sinless eyes
Centers our perspective
And pacifies our cries

For some exposure to Christianity and organized religion is a good temporary experience to help center how we view the world around us. It will answer a lot of questions and force a person to examine issues they never have before.

Sometimes the anguish we survive
And the mysteries we nurture
Are the fabrics of our lives

For others, Christianity and organized religion become the very backbone of their existence. It’s something that they grasp onto and never let go for duration of their life.

What is it that decides how each person would react/respond to Christianity? Two things, I believe:

1) The person. Are you selfless enough to truly serve God?
2) The presentation, education and continuous accountability offered to the person by the organization.

The following correspondence was entered into on the DT.net message board, where this analysis was posted:

pentagoonieeee:

"Swept away with the tide
Through the holes in my hands
Crown of thorns at my side
Drawing lines in the sand"

I wanted to add something about this passage. I always thought he might be talking about his beliefs being swept away with the tide through the holes in his hands. I see him as being crucified beside Christ. This could be symbolic of him as one of the criminals who was actually put to death next to Christ. That would place the crown of thorns at his side. In essence, all his beliefs have gotten him is suffering.

Also, what is a line in the sand? It is by no means permanent. It could easily be "swept away with the tide" Beliefs can be easily shattered by suffering and the loss of any form of salvation (in this case Christ); just think of how many people lost all faith in God during the Holocaust.

Finally, imagine the sheer pain of sea water being swept through holes in your hands...

There is alot in every single line of this song, but this part just jumped out at me this time around.

luckydude:

Just to clear things up, Jesus was drawing lines in the sand before he got up to say "Those who are sinless, cast the first stone". Mystery Global already mentioned this but I just wanted to clear that up a little.

Good work, Mystery. Bono once said religion is the worst enemy of God. I do not whole-heartedly agree with him because I believe John Piper explained better. He said that the gifts of God are the worst enemies of God. When a person is blessed here on earth, it is that much harder to give that up and follow the ways of Jesus. In order to be a "successful" Christian, one must imitate Jesus. That's why people came up with that WWJD thing. To imitate Jesus is to obey God. Of course it is MUCH easier said than done.

Does that make any sense? Oh well....

MysteryGlobal:

Penta....that's great. That's one way of interpreting the chorus that never occurred to me. Very insightful.

When I do these analyses, they are absolutely not meant to be taken as correct. They are simply what the song means to me and how it applies to my life. I'm sure it's different for many people.

As for the time factor...lol, I actually did this one at work yesterday morning. It only took about an hour or so, even with several interruptions.
Cynically jaded. We are all just prisoners here, of our own device.

InnocuousFox:

Something you may want to consider is the application of addiction or vices to this. It is especially apparent in the section about the castles in the air and the fantasies we're seeking being the crosses we bear. Translated, the things that we dream about or fantasize about can be the very things that are holding us down spiritually. Combine this with the notions of fabricating our own demons (sin), inviting them into our homes (intentionally subjecting ourselves to temptation), fighting the war alone (refusing to ask for help - very common to addicts), and conjuring up skeletons (as in "in the closet" - i.e. hidden, shameful sins).

Just a thought... otherwise, good job!

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Quote this question:
From [url=http://www.faq.dtnorway.com/question/119]faq.dtnorway.com[/url]: [quote][b][i]Lines in the Sand[/i][/b] Author: MysteryGlobal Sometimes, for a moment of bliss And the passion, we're craving There's a message we miss Sometimes when, the spirits left alone We must believe in something To find if we've grown Picture a person with an emptiness in their life. Maybe they have money, or a spouse, or a successful career, and maybe they have none of these things. The bottom line is that their life is missing something. Enter organized religion. This person finds, within the church and it’s people and it’s rituals, the ‘moment of bliss’ which is talked about in the first line. They find that passion and excitement that comes with being part of something new and wonderful. This seems to fulfill the void which has been present in their life. But that newness and excitement often blinds young Christians from the real purpose of Christianity which is spreading God’s word and living a life of servitude to Christ. That’s the message that’s missed. The ‘spirit’ is probably the spirit of the person who has just found, or is returning to religion. When you haven’t had anything to believe in, you have to believe something to use as a gauge to find out if you are still the same person that you were before. That doesn’t mean that this ‘something’ is the right thing, or what you truly believe. Maybe the person’s beliefs have been compromised, simply to gain that feeling of inclusion and passion. Tragic reflex, shattered calm Static progress, senses gone Numb awareness, final psalm It doesn’t take long, in most cases, for that newness to wear off. Church becomes a habit, or reflex. The peace and joy found in the beginning soon fades as it becomes time to do the work expected of a Christian. That’s where many people become stagnant and their growth falters. Their progress stops and their senses are numbed because they only wanted the joy and excitement that was experienced in the beginning. They are not willing to go forward with the task of carrying out God’s will and truly serving Him. It’s not enough to just love God and sit on your duff. It takes sacrifice and selflessness, but, sadly, many churches fail to teach this part of Christianity. Swept away with the tide Through the holes in my hands Crown of thorns at my side Drawing lines in the sand This new Christian was ‘swept away’ by the love and the sacrifice of Christ, depicted by the ‘holes in my hands’. But now perhaps this person is one of the many self-righteous hypocrites found in organized religion, always pointing their finger at everyone else. Thus we are reminded of humility and meekness by the ‘crown of thorns’, symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion, the ultimate act of humility and sacrifice. ‘Drawing lines in the sand’ is to remind us of the story in the Bible where Christ spoke out to some accusers and told them “You who has no sin, cast the first stone.” This is a greatly anti-hypocrite line. Sometimes, if you're perfectly still You can hear the virgin weeping For the savior of your will This part seems to be asking us to stop and remember the price that was paid for our sin and evaluate our righteousness, or lack thereof. Sometimes, your castles in the air And the fantasies you're seeking Are the crosses you bear At this point I believe the message of the song takes a turn. It’s more about a person beginning to pull away from religion and back to an average life. The person begins doubting the validity of this Christian lifestyle. Trying to get to Heaven, and have a castle and such being analogies for living the Christian life, is it really worth it? Or is it all just a burden? Sacred conflict, blessed prize Weeping crosses, stainless eyes Desperate addict, faith disguised The ‘sacred conflict’ would be the arduous task of deciding to leave a church. You feel the attraction to the promised ‘prize’ of salvation, and you are addicted to the habit of attending church and playing the role of a Christian, for it does become an entire way of life. But, is the habitual act of playing a part that you don’t feel really faith? Repeat Chorus We fabricate our demons Invite them into our homes Have supper with the aliens And fight the war alone As the feelings of confusion deepen, the person becomes more and more just an actor playing out a part. Going along with all of the battles and enemies claimed by the church,(demons) and playing along as though the battle were your own, even though you don’t feel like you have anything in common with the other members of the church.(aliens) This is sure to bring about feelings of isolation and ‘fighting the war alone’. We conjure up our skeletons Enlist the den of thieves Frightened from our closets Then sewn upon our sleeves The next step towards leaving the church is when the person begins to revert back to old habits and sinful actions. Bringing out all the thoughts and desires that have been suppressed while attempting to lead a Christian life. These are the skeletons and thieves brought out of the closets. Then by having them ‘sewn upon our sleeves’ it becomes apparent to those surrounding us that we have returned to a life of selfishness and we are no longer hiding our desire to discontinue attending the church. In the stream of consciousness There is a river crying Living comes much easier Once we admit we're dying Trying to lead a Christian life, particularly if you are having doubts about it, is a very stressful thing. You never feel like you’re getting it right. You never feel like you’re good enough. This section seems to be illustrating a point where a person gives up completely on Christianity and simply accepts that they are going to die, or go to Hell. It’s selfish and many would claim foolish, but it’s a lot easier to just live to please yourself and no one else, regardless of repercussions. Sometimes, in the wreckage of our wake There's a bitterness we harbor And hate for hatred's sake Sometimes we dig an early grave And crucify our instincts For the hope we couldn't save After trying and then refusing religion, many people become bitter. My guess would be that John is referring specifically to the bitterness felt towards the hypocrisy in organized religion. Even though we feel that Christianity and it’s principles are good and true, due to this hypocrisy bred hatred, we give up hope on the whole thing. That’s the instinct being crucified. Hope couldn’t be saved because of the corruption that man has brought to religion. Sometimes a view from sinless eyes Centers our perspective And pacifies our cries For some exposure to Christianity and organized religion is a good temporary experience to help center how we view the world around us. It will answer a lot of questions and force a person to examine issues they never have before. Sometimes the anguish we survive And the mysteries we nurture Are the fabrics of our lives For others, Christianity and organized religion become the very backbone of their existence. It’s something that they grasp onto and never let go for duration of their life. What is it that decides how each person would react/respond to Christianity? Two things, I believe: 1) The person. Are you selfless enough to truly serve God? 2) The presentation, education and continuous accountability offered to the person by the organization. The following correspondence was entered into on the DT.net message board, where this analysis was posted: pentagoonieeee: "Swept away with the tide Through the holes in my hands Crown of thorns at my side Drawing lines in the sand" I wanted to add something about this passage. I always thought he might be talking about his beliefs being swept away with the tide through the holes in his hands. I see him as being crucified beside Christ. This could be symbolic of him as one of the criminals who was actually put to death next to Christ. That would place the crown of thorns at his side. In essence, all his beliefs have gotten him is suffering. Also, what is a line in the sand? It is by no means permanent. It could easily be "swept away with the tide" Beliefs can be easily shattered by suffering and the loss of any form of salvation (in this case Christ); just think of how many people lost all faith in God during the Holocaust. Finally, imagine the sheer pain of sea water being swept through holes in your hands... There is alot in every single line of this song, but this part just jumped out at me this time around. luckydude: Just to clear things up, Jesus was drawing lines in the sand before he got up to say "Those who are sinless, cast the first stone". Mystery Global already mentioned this but I just wanted to clear that up a little. Good work, Mystery. Bono once said religion is the worst enemy of God. I do not whole-heartedly agree with him because I believe John Piper explained better. He said that the gifts of God are the worst enemies of God. When a person is blessed here on earth, it is that much harder to give that up and follow the ways of Jesus. In order to be a "successful" Christian, one must imitate Jesus. That's why people came up with that WWJD thing. To imitate Jesus is to obey God. Of course it is MUCH easier said than done. Does that make any sense? Oh well.... MysteryGlobal: Penta....that's great. That's one way of interpreting the chorus that never occurred to me. Very insightful. When I do these analyses, they are absolutely not meant to be taken as correct. They are simply what the song means to me and how it applies to my life. I'm sure it's different for many people. As for the time factor...lol, I actually did this one at work yesterday morning. It only took about an hour or so, even with several interruptions. Cynically jaded. We are all just prisoners here, of our own device. InnocuousFox: Something you may want to consider is the application of addiction or vices to this. It is especially apparent in the section about the castles in the air and the fantasies we're seeking being the crosses we bear. Translated, the things that we dream about or fantasize about can be the very things that are holding us down spiritually. Combine this with the notions of fabricating our own demons (sin), inviting them into our homes (intentionally subjecting ourselves to temptation), fighting the war alone (refusing to ask for help - very common to addicts), and conjuring up skeletons (as in "in the closet" - i.e. hidden, shameful sins). Just a thought... otherwise, good job![/quote]